Category Archives: landscapes

A Morning along the Canal

Posted by Mike on

I decided today would be the day I get up early and search out a sunrise over the Utica Marsh.  My plan was a little short sighted since the walk to the marsh was definitely longer than I anticipated.  It did give me plenty of opportunities along the barge canal for pictures though so the day was not a total washout (even considering all the rain!).  I’ll know better next time to set my alarm about an hour earlier.

Calm Water Morning
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/25s, 17mm, f8, ISO 400

Around half way to the marsh the trail has to cross a canal gate.  The gate isn’t related to a lock but more of a control point into a harbor of sorts off the canal.  I captured a few pictures leading up to the gate but the reverse view, into the sunrise, was definitely the keeper.  It was a little weird crossing the gate even though there was a walkway installed on top.  I was impressed with the construction.  It went for simplicity with large concrete counter weights to reduce the work any motor needed to perform.

Weighted Gate
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/50s, 17mm, f8, ISO 400

At one point along the path there are three bridges that cross above, the north and south lanes of Routes 8 & 12, and the off ramp bridge to I790.  When I reached the point between the bridges the sun was finally above the horizon and once again I had a great show to capture.  This image ‘breaks’ all the ‘rules’, horizon is in the middle, subject is in the middle, etc., but as soon as I capture the first frame I knew this was the way the picture needed to be.  I generally don’t second guess my initial response, when I think about it, I tend to ruin the scene.

Reflected Light(pole)
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/125s, 17mm, f8, ISO 400

All three pictures where processed using Lightroom 4.  Minor tweaks to tone, a little noise reduction and some sharpening.  I’m still learning all the possibilities with Lightroom 4 but it sure does make post processing images simple and straight forward.

Delta Lake Dam

Posted by Mike on

I finally made the time to finish processing my pictures from the two days of exploration at the Delta Lake Dam.  I posted two images previously but wanted to put together a single post with all the pictures I captured.  I had a great time searching around the foot of the dam and I really hope we get some rain so the water will flow over the top of the spillway.  I will definitely be heading back to the dam when that occurs.

The construction of the dam began in 1908 and was eventually completed in 1912.  New York State constructed the dam as a water reservoir for the expanded barge canal system being built to replace the original Erie Canal.  Unfortunately for the village of Delta, NY, the construction of the dam required the relocation of the residents and the eventual flooding of the village.  You can see pictures and more info about Delta, NY at http://www.nlford.com/history/delta/.

Delta Lake Dam – Overview
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/80s, 17mm, f11, ISO 200

Delta Lake Dam – Spillway
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/160s, 50mm, f11, ISO 200

Delta Lake Dam – Old Bridge
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/60s, 17mm, f11, ISO 200

Delta Lake Dam – Rock Patterns
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/80s, 17mm, f7.1, ISO 200

Delta Lake Reservoir Dam
View from the bridge
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/30s, 17mm, f5.6, ISO 100

The next two images I created using a 3 bracketed set for each image. I used Photomatix Pro to tone map the three images and then finished processing the result in Lightroom 4. I like the ability of the HDR (High Dynamic Range) technique to ‘bring out’ more of the image. I try not to ‘over do’ the processing so the image (especially landscapes) still looks somewhat natural.

Delta Lake Dam – Spillway
3 bracket exposure (-2 / 0 /+2 EV) HDR
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/13s. 17mm, f11, ISO 200

Delta Lake Dam – Spillway
3 bracket exposure (-2 / 0 /+2 EV) HDR
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/5s. 19mm, f16, ISO 200

I’m trying to avoid too many trips back to this area until there is some change.  Like I mentioned above, if the water starts flowing over the spillway, I’ll be there.  When the autumn brings some nice color to the leaves, I’ll be back.  It is a little sad to me that this great area is roughly 10 minutes from my house but I have visited it more in the past week then I had in the past 20+ years of living in Central NY.  I dream of taking trips to those wonderful areas of the US that I see pictures of everyday online, but then I find areas so close to home that I know I need to discover in my own back yard too!

If anyone has suggestions for photographic trips here in Central NY, leave a comment.  I’m always looking for new areas to explore and things to photograph.

Bending Reality

Posted by Mike on
From Landscapes

Bending Reality
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/160s, 17mm, f5.6, ISO 400

While I was at the canal park last night I decided to try for another panoramic image.  I had watched a video by Gavin Hoey on Adorama TV on creating panoramic images and I was hoping the view of the canal would allow me to create what I wanted.  This image is a stitch of 9 portrait pictures taken from East to West between Mill St. and Erie Blvd East in Rome, NY.  I think next time I’ll back away just a little more to get the metal railing in the entire image.

Calm Water Falling

Posted by Mike on
From Landscapes

Calm Water Falling
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/50s, 17mm, f16, ISO 400

I returned to one of my favorite spots tonight, the park along the NY State Barge Canal in south Rome, NY.  It is located were the Black River enters the canal.  I decided to look for different compositions and made an effort to not duplicate pictures I had captured before.

This image is from the pedestrian bridge over the spillway just as the river enters the canal.  I was lucky there was no wind so the river was like a mirror.  I loved the contrast between the calm and falling water.  Plus the reflection is pretty sweet too!

Yesterday’s Path

Posted by Mike on
From Landscapes

Delta Lake Reservoir Dam
View from the bridge
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/30s, 17mm, f5.6, ISO 100

A Day (or Evening) at the Beach

Posted by Mike on

Last night after dinner I headed over to Delta Lake State Park just north of Rome, NY.  This park is around the corner from my house (in the country around the corner is less than 10 miles) and although we visited more when the kids were younger it had been quite a few years since I was inside the park.  I can contribute my renewed fascination to my new obsession in photography.  This spring I went to the park to explore with my camera and and old friend has become new again.

I watched the afternoon clear skies become ripe for pictures as the clouds rolled in and I just knew the sunset was going to be worth photographing.  Everything worked out as I was able to get dinner cooked, gobbled down and my hiking boots on to make it to the park with a little over an hour until sunset.

As I topped the knoll between the parking area and the beach this scene stopped me in my tracks.  I quickly made my adjustments to the camera settings before clicking away.  I needed to get a little closer to remove some unwanted elements in the picture but luckily the wide angle lens still allowed for a nice picture.

Delta Lake State Park, beach area
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/50sec, 32mm f/8, ISO 200

I think I have fallen into a routine every time I visit the park but it has given me some really nice pictures in the past.  There is a path that starts to the right of the beach area and mostly follows the lake’s shoreline.  This next picture is right at the start of this path and the view is looking toward the dam which created the lake.  I think on my next visit I’ll use the telephoto to show the dam more clearly.

Delta Lake State Park, view toward the dam
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/40sec, 17mm f/8, ISO 200

My normal route through the path didn’t yield as many photo opportunities as I had hoped and with a limited time frame before sunset I stopped short to circle back toward the beach.  The advantage of living close and being able to get to the park so late is I generally have it to myself.  The few families or groups left are just finishing up their stay so I’m able to setup practically anywhere.

During the summer you are only allowed to swim during scheduled hours when there are life guards on duty. They even rope off different sections of the beach for the varying abilities (or heights) of the swimmers.  I really liked how the buoyed line appears to go on toward the horizon.

Delta Lake State Park, beach looking west
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/100sec, 19mm f/16, ISO 200

In the first picture of this post, the tree filled area is a small overlook which you can get to in numerous ways but over the years small paths from the beach up the hill have been made despite the best efforts of the park to created stair paths.  I always like following the man made paths as you generally find better picture spots along the way.  Once you get to the top there is a area looking west which allows for a nice view of the lake and the setting sun.

Delta Lake State Park, east overlook looking west
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/8sec, 19mm f/22, ISO 100

The last two pictures are back down on the beach and are my attempt at capturing the sunset using three exposure brackets.  I used Lightroom 4 to correct for lens distortion and exported the pictures to Photomatix.  I used the normal exposure image for the water to remove any effects of ghosting and then tone mapped the three exposures with detail enhancing plus a few adjustments.  I brought the finished image back into Lightroom for a crop and some minor tweaks.

Delta Lake State Park, beach looking west
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/15s, 1/60s, 1/4s, 24mm f/22, ISO 100
Delta Lake State Park, beach looking west
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/4s, 1/15s, 1s, 17mm f/22, ISO 100

I ended up not staying until the full sunset.  I had neglected to bring bug spray with me and was starting to get eaten alive.  I had captured enough pictures to keep me processing for a few hours.  I’m not sure the sunset and the time just after would have provided any better views of the lake.  But then, considering how close I am, there will always be another day.